Finally, a full review.
Hi guys, it's KJ the MiTechGuy here, and today
I have an after the hype review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for you.
I really like doing these after the hype reviews because it gives me time to use the phone
exclusively, while also giving me the context of all of the other phone releases that have
happened since.
So in this video I will quickly go over things like specifications because I still think
those are important to some extent, but I will try to really focus this video on what
it is like owning and using the Note 9 on a daily basis as a daily driver.
Let's get right into it.
The Note 9 is one of the few phones this year that still managed to stand out to me on paper.
It is running on either the Exynos 9810 or Snapdragon 845 octa-core chipsets.
It sports 8 GB of RAM and can reach up to a terabyte of storage with its 512 GB max
internal storage and its microSD card slot.
Samsung also managed to put in a 4000 mAh battery, liquid cooling, and an s-pen that
lives in the bottom of the phone.
But as I've said before, all of the top specifications in the world wouldn't mean anything if the
phone itself didn't deliver a pleasant overall user experience to match.
And with the Note 9, Samsung really focused on the user experience and really tried to
just give consumers the most options as possible.
They might be the last major company to retain the headphone jack on their flagship, and
they have also resisted the urge to add a notch to their displays while still retaining
an impressive screen-to-body ratio and stereo speakers.
The Note 9 has iris scanning, intelligent face-scanning, and a fingerprint scanner.
It even allows you to pay at just about any credit card terminal with Samsung Pay.
You might not use or care for some of the things I mentioned, but options just give
users more control over how they want to interact with their devices.
This gets me to the one thing that you interact most with any smartphone, and that's the screen.
The Note 9 has a massive 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display that has a QHD+ resolution.
And honestly, I still think the Note 9 has the best viewing experience from any smartphone
I've seen.
And the fact that you can make videos full screen without seeing any sort of cutout or
notch, makes everything just that much better.
No matter what I'm doing, details and text are crisp, and colors pop even in direct sunlight.
And when using the phone itself, gone are the days of that Samsung lag.
I'll admit that the Note 9 is not the fastest phone out right now, but it isn't slow by
any means.
It's RAM, coupled with its processors, allow it to keep many apps open and ready to go,
while also keeping general navigating between menus and apps very snappy.
For as long as I've been using the Note 9, I've always been confident knowing that the
phone will be able to do anything I would ever expect it to, and more.
As smartphone cameras improve year after year, Samsung always has one of the best camera
systems on their flagships.
With the Note 9, it's no different.
Samsung actually took a step up from the S9+ this year in terms of image processing.
The Note 9's images show impressive dynamic range, and excellent levels of detail.
There are instances where areas of the photo will be overexposed, but you seriously will
not be disappointed by the camera system on this device.
It even uses AI to optimize for given scenes and can let you know if the image was blurry
or if someone was blinking.
Make sure to check out the camera comparisons I have out involving the Note 9 to see in
detail how its images, video, and audio qualities compare to the S9+ and iPhone XS's camera
system.
When I think about recommending phones, I don't just look at individual things like
specs, display, or camera, I try to take a step back and realize what that person may
want in a phone.
A phone is something that you're going to have with you everyday for the next year or
two until you get another one, so it better be able to do what you intend it to do.
I think Samsung has done a great job of shifting the Note series line from a niche professional
device into something that appeals to just about any user.
Whether you want to jot down a quick note, multitask, or simply consume some media, the
Note 9 not only gets the job done, it excels.
With this phone, you don't have to ever worry about forgetting a dongle when there is that
off-chance that there isn't Bluetooth available.
It has an accessory in the s-pen that adds functionality without adding any inconvenience
because it simply lives in the bottom of the phone.
It's even iP68 rated water and dust resistant to give you a greater peace of mind.
Up until now, I've been talking about the many positives of the phone because there
are many, many positives to owning this phone, but I haven't really answered probably the
most important question which is whether or not this phone is worth it.
And to that I say that it is probably one of the most worth it phones you can buy, even
at its steep price point of $1000.
Let me explain.
With the Note 9, Samsung not only kept the headphone jack, they through in a pair of
$100 wired AKG earphones in the box.
Samsung also includes a fast charging wall adapter in the box.
Couple these with the fact that Samsung basically packed every feature you could ever want into
a phone into their latest flagship, the Note 9 actually seems like a decent deal.
What other phone has a built in stylus, wireless charging, headphone jack, multiple authentication
methods, iP68 water and dust resistance, Samsung Pay, top tier internals, up to a terabyte
of storage, no notch, and stereo speakers?
No other phone, really.
Right now, there are even deals popping up all over the place making the Note 9 seem
like an even better deal.
But still, I would not blindly recommend this phone to everyone because it is not perfect.
I still really hate how slow updates get to Samsung devices.
I've enjoyed certain things about Android Pie for a while now on my Pixel and OnePlus
devices to the point where the operating system on the Note 9 is starting to feel outdated.
And I'm worried that when it finally gets that Android Pie update, there will already
be murmurs of an impending Android Q.
So if you really always want the latest Android updates, the Note 9 just can't be the phone
for you.
Also I'll add that since Samsung is also producing displays for other manufacturers like the
iPhone XS's and the Pixel 3's, the screen is no longer as polarizing of a winner as
before.
The Note 9 is a phone that does a lot of things very, very well, I'll while still getting
all day battery life.
I would say though, that display aside, there isn't really one thing that makes it jump
out at you like some other phones have.
The iPhones always have their beloved ecosystem and now really great camera systems, while
the Pixel 3's have incredible cameras as well and also the only true stock Android experience.
Lastly, phones like the OnePlus 6T give users 85-90% of the experience for the insane price
of $550.
So there are other phones that have those one or two ways of standing out from the crowd
that the Note 9 simply does not.
The way the Note 9 stands out is by filling in that last 15% of the features OnePlus is
leaving out in order to give you the most complete, and feature-filled smartphone experience
money can buy.
All while keeping all other aspects of the device at a surprisingly high level.
Hopefully this video helped you out if you were thinking about getting this phone.
Make sure to shoot me any lst minute tech or MIT related questions in the comment section
below to be featured in my next AskMTG video.
Also, give me your thoughts on the Note 9 itself and whether you still view it as the
go to phone.
As always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.